Jack Black Joining The Cast Of Next Year’s ‘Jumanji’ Remake
Jack Black is the latest star to be attached to next year’s Jumanji remake. A little while ago it was announced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would be starring in a reboot of the 1995 film, already a pretty big name in itself. However, the cast roster for the upcoming film is only continuing to grow, with Jack Black now confirmed to be playing a major part in the film. According to Rolling Stone, alongside Jack Black, Kevin Hart, who had long been speculated to hold a role in the film, was also finally confirmed.
The original 1995 version of Jumanji starred the late Robin Williams, as an adaptation of the 1981 children’s book of the same name. Speaking about this new reboot of the film, now confirmed to be starring Jack Black, The Rock said “In our reimagining of the story of Jumanji, Jack brings that rare balance of cool with funny and edge with childlike joy,”. As aforementioned, whilst announcing Jack Black to the film, The Rock also confirmed Kevin Hart as a cast member. The original Jumanji was an adventure fantasy comedy, and with that in mind, it only seems right that the film’s producers have brought in some of the biggest names in comedy for this remake.
According to The Verge, Dwayne Johnson went on to speak about how much of a fan of Jack Black he has become over the years. Johnson is co-producing the Jumanji reboot, meaning that he, of course, had some say in casting Jack Black in the role. Kevin Hart’s inclusion in the film’s casting is something less of a surprise, however. Johnson and Heart have already worked together in the past, most recently when they both starred in the 2016 release Central Intelligence, which is likely to have something to do with Hart’s casting in Jumanji.
Whilst fans of the original Jumanji film will undeniably be pleased about the reboot, there are going to be some key differences between this film and the original. Whilst the 1995 release starring Robin Williams had three main characters, this film will see five characters take the lead. We now already know that Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart will fill three of those roles, but the producers are said to be searching for two other actors to fill the remaining main roles. However, considering the three big names, including Jack Black, that are already attached to the film, it can only be expected that the two remaining roles will be filled with a couple of big names from the world of comedy.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s re-imagining of Jumanji is set to hit cinemas next summer. The search is currently on for two more actors to fill the film’s remaining roles as fans of the original film continue to spot the differences between the 2017 release of Jumanji, starring Jack Black and the 1995 release that starred the late Robin Williams. However, the very fact that Jack Black and Kevin Hart have now been signed to the film alongside Johnson himself means that this Jumanji reboot will be one of 2017’s biggest releases.
[Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images]
